In the Red
by MiLa63
Summary: AH/PitchBlackAU; Caroline Forbes crash lands on a deserted planet with a dangerous killer, Klaus. Will they survive with the beasts lurking beneath the surface? Will Caroline figure out why the mass murderer stirs something deep within her? Probably will not continue.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or Pitch Black/Riddick series.

A/N: Found this prompt on the forum: Vampire Diaries Crossover Challenges, and this specific prompt given by Callistoisis. I plan to deter a bit from it, because I like the idea of Klaus being just a regular serial killer, rather than still a hybrid. And Caroline playing the actual Carolyn seems too spineless for her character, despite the name coincidence. Hope you enjoy! Let me know if you think I should continue!

* * *

Caroline blinked blearily as she woke up. Her body was shaking. _Was this an earthquake?_ It felt too violent for that. Her heartbeat raced. _What was happening?_ She had decided to get on a low-class transport ship with her dear friend Elena and her older sister Lexi, but ever since she step foot onto the garbage heap, she regretted it. She especially regretted it after hearing that a dangerous convict was being transported as well.

She shook her head, realizing that she shouldn't be awake right now. Looking around the passenger cryo area, nothing seemed glaringly amiss. However, the overhead head-ache inducing alarm did point to an issue. She could hear the wild screams of the two pilots, a pair of brothers, Damon and Stefan, yelling at each other.

Caroline was relieved when she heard Lexi's confused voice, ask, "Caroline? Are you awake? Why are we awake?"

Caroline shrugged, and responded, "Not sure. Sounds like a technical issue or something by the way those two are arguing." She glanced at the cryo tube at the end of the row. The large danger signs stuck to the glass gave Caroline a shiver down her spine. The man inside, the convict, had his eyes closed. He wore a metal helmet, type device, presumably to control his ear implants. She heard the stories the handsome lawman had been saying about the convict. A self-destructive murderer, who tore apart his own head to insert sense enhancers for his nose, ears, and teeth. Everything about him was deadly. Caroline shook her head against the image of how painful that would be.

The sudden and wild shake of the ship had Caroline clutching at the sides of her containment unit. The sparks and flashes upon landing were obvious even after Caroline had closed her eyes. The sound of deathly screams caused her heart to pinch and her eyes' water intensity to build.

After a few minutes of what seemed like absolute chaos, it stopped. She panted in fear as she slowly opened her eyes. The ship was wrecked. Some people lay outside of their units, dead or just about to be. She took a deep breath as she glanced at the end of the row. It was empty. Caroline swallowed her lingering fears as she called out to her friends. "Lexi? Elena? Are you guys ok?"

"Yeah, Caroline. I'm here. Not sure about Elena," Lexi immediately, her voice gruff from her reflexive screams. "Elena?" She called.

"Here," a small voice answered.

Caroline sighed in relief. They were ok. They were going to be ok. A loud cry of pain distracted her form her grateful thoughts.

"Don't touch it! Don't you dare touch it!" Caroline heard a voice cry out.

Popping out of her unit, she followed her older sister down to the next row of passengers. The last row contained the third to last person Caroline wanted to see at death's door. Elena's aunt Jenna lay on the hard metal grate flooring with a pipe sticking out of her chest. A broken sob from Elena drew Caroline's attention. Caroline ran to hold her friend, as they looked upon the older woman's last moments.

Damon, the dark-haired older brother stepped up to the woman on the floor. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I don't really want to do this," he faux-whispered, grabbing onto the bloody pole.

"No," Jenna and Elena both sobbed.

"She's dead anyway, miss. I'm sorry." He said as he ripped the metal from the dying woman's body.

Caroline shook her head at his mercilessness. She held her friend tighter as she caught the eye of the younger brother. His sad green eyes spoke to Caroline of a life of sympathy and pity, following after his big brother.

Caroline only squeezed her sobbing friend.

"What do we do now? Where are we even?" Lexi asked the general area, hoping to move on and form a plan.

Stefan spoke out, "We landed on an unnamed desert planet. We should be looking for food and water because our stores won't last us long."

Lexi nodded and turned to the rest of us standing there. Caroline noticed a dark head slip out of the passenger part of the ship. "Ok, who wanted to go with?"

Elena moved from Caroline's embrace and volunteered. So did Caroline, Damon, and Stefan.

As they started walking, Caroline noticed the dark-head reappear by Damon's side. "He's not here. I searched everywhere. This isn't good. We should have some people stay to guard the ship and supplies. He'll take us out one by one, otherwise."

Damon nodded at the man's plan. "Ok, we need some fighters willing to stay."

"Why?" Elena asked him.

"The convict," a collective gasp followed from his words. "The convict got loose and might try to get our supplies. Who's willing to stay? We got a gun to use to keep watch."

A gun? On a desert planet, we needed everyone we could get, even if he was a murderer. "I'll stay," Caroline said. Lexi and Elena both looked at her suspiciously. "I know how to shoot a gun!" She argued to their silent question.

Damon rolled his eyes and kept moving away from the wreck. "Try to bury the corpses!" he called out.

For the first few hours, Caroline meandered around the wreckage, looking for any more survivors. Finally, she saw movement.

* * *

It was easy to pick out her fragrant scent of sweat and flowers among the desert dust. Klaus smiled to himself as he saw her turn the corner into the shade of the wreckage. Thankfully his captor had gone with the selfish captain, Damon. Despite the cryo unit, Klaus had heard Damon's attempt to dump the passengers to save his and his brother's life. Thankfully, Stefan prevented that outcome. Klaus recognized a small but pitying gratitude towards the younger Salvatore.

Klaus snuck up in the shadows right behind her. This angel. Her bright golden curls framed a picturesque face. Large blue eyes full of innocence and wonder. It make Klaus smile.

Grabbing the large shot gun she carried, he pushed her against the metal belly of the ship. She gasped in surprise, and it made his belly tingle. He had removed the contraption keeping him immobile and now wore his short curls wild and free.

"Where's the water?" he asked, voice scratchy from his forgetfulness. The group had hovered by the supplies at first, prohibiting Klaus' abduction of any sustenance.

He could hear the young angel's rapid heartbeat as she stared at him in shock.

"I will not repeat myself. You're beautiful but I will kill you," at this he gave her a smarmy smile.

She audibly gulped and said, "Here." She maneuvered one of her hands to reach the water tube. Grabbing the tip, she pulled it to the monster.

He chuckled lowly as he pushed his warm body against hers. Licking his lips he sucked the precious drink from her pack. He only smiled wider when he saw her furious glare.

After quenching his thirst, he asked, "What's your name, love?"

"Caroline," she breathed, verging on a whisper.

"Klaus." He could tell his proximity was affecting her, but he couldn't help wanting to stake a claim after seeing his captor flirt with the beauty. Knowing the dangerous situation, he felt the truth would help her get on his side. "Don't trust Tyler Lockwood. He isn't what he says he is."

Caroline blinked in confusion. "The lawman? Why what's wrong with him?"

Klaus merely stared at her perfect pink lips. They were slightly dry, but that wasn't surprising considering their environment.

"Just stay away from him." He hoped his the finality in his tone would force her to obey him.

Instead, Caroline scoffed. "Why should I even believe anything you say?"

"Because. I would never hurt you. Unless you get in my way." He smiled widely at that.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Yeah, just like how you threatened to kill me a few moments ago?"

* * *

"You weren't responding. And I don't repeat myself." The intensity of his blue eyes caught Caroline off guard.

 _Crazy murderers are NOT allowed to be this hot and with a super hot English accent!_ Caroline pondered. She shuffled away her vastly inappropriate bodily reactions to the hottie leaning against her in a black tank top.

Taking a deep breath, she realized that he was still looking at her, and that despite their setting, he smelled really good. Like manly sweaty good. Caroline swallowed. His eyes felt like deep wells of darkness and refreshing curiosity. _But BUT! He was an amoral killer! . . . . with adorable dimples._

Caroline shook herself. She must be suffering form heatstroke or something. "Well, the group should be coming back any second. I won't say anything as long as you don't do anything," she pushed a perfectly manicured fingernail into his lean muscled chest. _Stop poking the murderer!_ Caroline screamed in her mind.

Instead of the mass murderer look she was expecting, Klaus only showed his perfectly white teeth. He chuckled, causing cold shivers to run down her spine, and not due to any sense of fear.

"Wha-" but before any coherent words could escape her, Caroline heard a wild scream come from the other side of the grounded ship.

She met his longing gaze as he stepped back, leaving the gun with her, as she then raced to the other side of the ship. The sight that greeted her was not pleasant. Blood. Lots of it. She looked around for the miner and his wife, who were supposed to be digging graves. The miner's wife was staring in shock at the bloody, empty tent.

"What happened?" Caroline rushed to her, throwing down her gun.

"He.. and then there was... it was so fast. And his arm. I had his arm," she babbled in an Australian accent. Caroline rubbed her hands along the bare arms of the hysterical woman.

"It's alright. we're going to figure this out," Caroline said, trying to calm down the woman.

At the shocked gasp of the sobbing miner's wife, Caroline looked at where she was staring. Klaus had picked up her forgotten gun and was pointing it into a darkened hole in the grave-site.

"What are you doing?" Caroline shrieked.

"I found what happened to the miner." Klaus nodded his head into the direction of the gaping hole. "He was . . ." he glanced at the crying woman, "eaten."

Caroline shook her head back and forth in confusion and denial. This can't be happening.

"Stop, don't move!" Caroline heard the lawman, Tyler, call out as the exploration group returned. He had his little pistol aimed at Klaus, who was still underneath the tent.

Klaus stepped out from the ditch slowly, lowering the shot gun to the ground. An almost joyful look overcame the dark-head's face. "I've got you now, you bastard."

Klaus only smirked at him. Caroline felt the earlier heat getting to her again.


End file.
